An FDA patient-focused meeting on non-tuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung infections illustrated the difficulties companies face in developing new antibiotics. The hurdles are particularly high for NTM, a rare condition in which response to treatment varies based on the infecting organism and underlying disease.
There is no approved treatment for NTM lung infections and patients try to manage the disease with a cocktail of antibiotics. But given the side effects and variable efficacy of these drugs there is a great need for new medicines